The present invention relates to a magnetic alloy with ultrafine crystal grains excellent in magnetic properties and their stability, a major part of the alloy structure being occupied by ultrafine crystal grains, suitable for magnetic heads, etc.
Conventionally used as magnetic materials for magnetic parts such as magnetic heads are ferrites, showing relatively good frequency characteristics with small eddy current losses. However, ferrites do not have high saturation magnetic flux densities, so that they are insufficient for high-density magnetic recording of recent magnetic recording media when used for magnetic heads. In order that magnetic recording media having high coercive force for high-density magnetic recording show their performance sufficiently, magnetic materials having higher saturation magnetic flux densities and permeabilities are needed. To meet such demands, thin Fe-Al-Si alloy layers, thin Co-Nb-Zr amorphous alloy layers, etc. are recently investigated. Such attempts are reported by Shibata et al., NHK Technical Report 29 (2), 51-106 (1977), and by Hirota et al., Kino Zairyo (Functional Materials) August, 1986, p. 68, etc.
However, with respect to the Fe-Al-Si alloys, both magnetostriction .lambda..sub.s and magnetic anisotropy K should be nearly zero to achieve high permeability. These alloys, however, achieve saturation magnetic flux densities of only 12 kG or so. Because of this problem, investigation is conducted to provide Fe-Si alloys having higher saturation magnetic flux densities and smaller magnetostrictions, but they are still insufficient in corrosion resistance and magnetic properties. In the case of the above Co-base amorphous alloys, they are easily crystallized when they have compositions suitable for higher saturation magnetic flux densities, meaning that they are poor in heat resistance, making their glass bonding difficult.
Recently, Fe-M-C (M=Ti, Zr, Hf) layers showing high saturation magnetic flux densities and permeabilities were reported in Tsushin Gakkai Giho (Telecommunications Association Technical Report) MR89-12, p. 9. However, carbon atoms contained in the alloy are easily movable, causing magnetic aftereffect, which in turn deteriorates the reliability of products made of such alloys.